I suppose if there were more fatalities before successful flight, you'd give them Darwin Awards then tell them to stick to hot air balloons for another decade?

There was no established tradition of powered, fixed-wing aviation at the time of the Wright Brothers - they were pioneers, not noobs. But aviation is a fine example of a perilous human endeavor where innovation by beginners is heavily discouraged. Novice pilots today don't make up or innovate their own instruction regime or equipment use - they learn the basics in a very prescribed manner. There is an 'Experimental Aircraft Association' for experienced pilots who later do want to innovate, but again, the key word is 'experienced'.